Pharaoh's Sacrifice
by AlucardsCountess
Summary: Atemu's final moments.


It was all over now, but the crying, something of which he refused to do, what he was taught from an early age to never do.

_Tears show weakness, fear, both of which a Pharaoh must never show son. The people need a strong and fearless leader, one who will stand strong and defiant in the face of adversity._

He could still hear his father's words echo in his mind after all this time, a constant reminder just when he needed it, needed a extra push to continue onward and now was no different.

From behind him, he could still hear the panicked screams of his people as they fled from the horrendous creature that was Zorc Necrophades, the Dark One. The creature which seemed to be made of nightmares and promised death and destruction if it was not taken down. The Pharaoh had fought long and hard with this in mind, turned his thoughts away from his own pain. With every attack that was thrown at him, Atemu fought on when he spit up his own blood. When he felt his legs or heart would give out under the strain, pushed himself harder.

But now…

Now his body was giving out on him, his muscles that were still intact cramping and locking up, the others ripped apart. The sloshing he heard and the excruciating pain he could no longer ignore within him indicating internal bleeding. His vision swam and fogged as he tried to stand only to cry out in pain and fall back to the darkened sand; haunted by shadows of the beast that roared its evil laughter when seeing his plight, believing it had won.

He cried out once again, weakly reaching up on instinct to nurse his torn open shoulder when one of Zorc's undead minions attacked from behind with a spear. It drove the pike in deep and twisted it as the tip reappeared on the other side of his flesh; blood squirting and oozing out in a steady flow. The blood loss made him all the more dizzy and disoriented, but he couldn't give up now.

_Not yet._

His people needed him.

The heavy fall of the dark creatures footsteps seemed to make the very land cry out as the beast approached the fallen Pharaoh who no longer had the energy to look up, much less stand. But he somehow managed to hold the Millennium Puzzle tight to his bleeding and ravaged chest, determination shining through his scarlet and pain filled eyes. With rasping breaths the Pharaoh began to murmur an incantation he had discovered in the vast libraries of his palace. He had saved to his memory in the gut feeling that he would one day need it.

He hadn't realized until now how right he would be.

Now that he stood alone, his guardians and his court laying dead around and behind him. He had failed to save them, but he wouldn't fail the rest of his people.

As he murmured, fighting the crack in his voice, urging his heart to beat on when it stuttered, the puzzle began to glow in his hands. Then a beam of gold light encircled Zorc who bellowed in outrage as gold threads of light bound him and sent him flying from the city and back to the damned ruins of Kul-Elna. That light sucked the life from the monster and sent it's soul into the millennium stone where it was sealed. The undead minions of the beast were taken with it, that horrible pain of the pike being twisted stopping.

Atemu smirked in victory momentarily, before tearing pain seared through him once more. With this victory came a price, the price being his life. But he would give it up gladly to ensure the safety of his people. He managed to roll to his back, looking up into the heavens which were already starting to clear of the evil dark clouds the beast had spawned. He ignored as best as he could, the horrible pain as he sent out a plea to the Gods of Egypt.

"I give up my life and memories in the request that it act as a seal against, Zorc Necrophades, so that my people and Egypt may be safe.."

No sooner had he said this, the same beam left Kul-Elna and hit him square in the chest, his stuttering heart stopping as his mind blanked. His eyes lost complete focus and misted over as his vision went black, his last breath shuddering from his lungs. As his hands with their hold so tight on the puzzle loosened and fell limply to the rocks and sand, the Millennium Puzzle broke apart when hitting a rock and the pieces lay scattered next to the fallen Pharaoh.

Long live the King!


End file.
